Here it is, the last chapter.
I am so tired right now and since I checked this chapter in a hurry and in this state, there are possibly some mistakes.
Thanks for reading.

Years later...

"Hello Merlin. It's.. been a while." Arthur started. He felt a bit guilty for leaving his friend behind for such a long time, but it couldn't be helped as Arthur needed to take care of many things outside the walls of Camelot.

Arthur sat down with a sigh, but it wasn't a heavy one. It was full of relief to be back home yet there was a certain tint of sadness in it.

"I'm sure you remember what I told you about King Lot or Essetir, right? It was an unfortunate accident that he lost his life in but due to his passing we have finally started to make peace with Essetir. His oldest son has very different views than his father and I am sure that he will become a fine king." It was strange to talk to someone who would not be able to answer to anything but this had been Arthur's comfort for years.

"It seems like he has troubles with the bandits in the area as they are gathering more troops by kidnapping people from villages and turning them into fighters. They seem to be planning on a war. I promised young Rience that I would assist him with manpower and strategist support." Arthur fell silent after those words. He felt the coldness of the rocks beneath him even though there was no snow in the caves.

"Hey Merlin... It's really nice outside. Even though it's cold, the snow has piled up very beautifully. Guinevere loves it." His tone had become very silent.

"I hope you aren't feeling too cold down here."

After these three and a half years without his friend by his side, Arthur had forgotten how things had used to be. Though, that wasn't really true. He did remember, even though he had tried his hardest to forget. Remembering Merlin's smiles and humorous remarks just pained him more since he knew that things would never turn back the way they were.

"Oh, Merlin..." Arthur sighed sadly.
"I have no idea if you can hear anything I tell you, but only this once I wish that you wouldn't. Still, I feel that it is my duty to deliver these news." Arthur felt his heart squeezing painfully.

"Three nights ago...Gaius...He..." Arthur knew exactly how much Merlin loved Gaius. He had become more than a mentor to the boy. Yes, he had been like a father to him. But Gaius was old and losing Merlin had not been easy for him. "Gaius passed away." Arthur finished. He had just heard this himself that afternoon after returning. It pained him too, as Gaius had not only been a physician but also an advisor and a friend. He had taken care of Arthur since he had been a child and now he was gone. Still, he knew that Merlin's connection with him was far more deep.

"I'm sorry, Merlin. I truly am. I know he was important to you." Arthur didn't speak for some time after that, as if waiting for Merlin to react. But like usual, nothing happened.

"His illness just got worse and he was too old to hold on. Marcus, the new court physician I told you about, was by his side the entire time and it seems like his passing was peaceful." Arthur wished he could comfort Merlin somehow and perhaps even hug him to show he wasn't alone but he wasn't able to do any of that.

Arthur got up and walked to the crystal and he rested his hand upon it. Sometimes when doing that, he felt like he could feel something. This time, he felt it too. It was something he didn't understand, but there was definitely a strange feeling running through him. During these moments he really felt like Merlin could hear him and understand the words he was saying.

A sudden cracking sound caught Arthur's attention and he tried to find the source of the noise. It almost seemed like it had come from the crystal, but Arthur found nothing out of the ordinary and so he forgot about it.

Feeling like the air was too heavy, Arthur decided to change the subject.

"Before I left two weeks ago, I heard a song while patrolling the city. I kept hearing it over and over again, from lower town to all the way to the citadel. Even the maids were humming the tune. During our journey the knights taught me the song." Arthur paused and he looked at Merlin's unconscious face.

"Everyone knew it besides me. Merlin, the song is about you." Arthur sounded sad, yet proud.

"I'm not going to sing to you. I don't sing, you know that, you idiot." Arthur found himself smiling as he partly still waited Merlin to answer him.

"But.. since I know you are curious, I will tell you the words." He thought about it for a while before he started.

"See the walls of Camelot,
so white and high, so mighty,
no evil shall defile them,
nor ever bring them down.

No place in Albion so dark,
where this tale is yet unheard,
magic holds us in its arms,
like mother's warm embrace.

Hear his name, our saviour,
bless him for his sacrifice,
Merlin, he has brought us peace,
saved our King and Queen."

Somewhere along the lines, Arthur noticed that he had started to sing very silently. He felt a bit embarrassed, but the feeling passed quickly as he realized that Merlin wouldn't tease him about it.

Still, Arthur liked the song. He liked the fact that so many were singing it even more. He really wished that Merlin had heard his words so he would know that the people in the city knew what he had done and appreciated his actions.

"I'm going to go now but I'll be back tomorrow. Good night, Merlin." Arthur said before he gave a small nod and left.

As days passed, Arthur started to notice a change in the air. He couldn't quite tell what it was, it was just a strange feeling that wouldn't go away. It got stronger by the day and the knights seemed to notice it too. Something was off and Arthur had a good guess what it was about. Something was different with Merlin.

Whenever he went down to see Merlin he felt the feeling getting stronger and when he touched the crystal one day, a feeling of pain and grief passed him. Merlin was mourning Gaius' death. It had to be so.

After realizing this, Arthur visited Merlin at least once a day and told him that everything would be all right. He knew that it wasn't much, but he wanted for his friend to feel better.

Unfortunately, Arthur had to leave soon again. Young Rience wished to talk about the conditions on their upcoming peace treaty and it was clear that he needed quick assistance.

He was visiting Merlin before leaving, wanting to check his condition. However, he saw something he didn't wish to see.

Something had definitely changed. The crystal had become filled with cracks, and Merlin's expression had turned pained.

"M-Merlin! What's going on?!" Arthur ran to Merlin's side right away. He inspected the cracks before he touched one long line, only to be surprised in an unpleasant way. A terrible feeling ran over him. It was full of pain and Arthur couldn't help it when a loud gasp escaped him and he flinched away. He looked over at Merlin for a while in shock. Was this what Merlin was feeling?

"Merlin...!" Arthur could only say. Was there anything he could do?

Arthur didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay and make sure Merlin wasn't going to just disappear or anything. He didn't quite know what the crystal cracking meant, but he knew that Merlin was in pain, so it probably wasn't anything good.

What would happen if the crystal broke? What would happen to Merlin?

Arthur didn't have any answers and it made him anxious and worried. If he weren't a king he would have stayed by Merlin's side and forgotten about everything else, but unfortunately his status made it almost impossible to have any kind of personal life.

"Merlin, I'm sorry. I wish I could stay here to make sure you will be fine. However, as a king, I have a duty to my people and so I have to leave. I'll make sure that Leon and Gwaine will look after you while I'm gone."

Arthur turned to leave but then he turned around again. He felt so pained about leaving Merlin behind. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he wasn't going to see him again, not like this.

"Merlin... You need to hold on, okay? At least until I get back. After that, I will take care of everything. I'll try - no - I will be back in a week so until that, you can't lose." After those words Arthur turned around and was glad that no one was around to notice his scared expression.

It took him the promised one week to be back in Camelot.

Arthur had been very relieved to see Merlin's barrier around the castle as he rode through the gates towards the citadel.

Gwen and Leon had come outside to meet them and they told Arthur that there was no major changes in Merlin's condition.

As Arthur wanted to check that for himself, he headed underneath the castle before he did anything else.

"Hey princess." A familiar voice greeted him in the cave and Arthur saw Gwaine resting his back against a rock while sitting cross-legged and looking at Arthur with one tired eye. Though obviously tired, Gwaine still held his usual carefree smile. Arthur had gotten so used to his nickname that he showed no reaction to it.

"You look tired. Have you been here for long?" Arthur asked, gaining a smirk from Gwaine.

"Well yeah. Can't leave this troublemaker all by himself." Arthur could see and hear the certain sadness from the knight. It was probably not easy for him either to see his friend in such state.

Arthur walked closer to Merlin and became a bit more sad than before when seeing his friend's pained expression. He inspected the crystal closer and saw that the cracks had increased slightly while he had been gone.

"I'm back, Merlin."

That night when Arthur was about to fall asleep, he heard a whisper. He opened his eyes and wondered where the sound had come from, but when he didn't hear it again, he ignored it and closed his eyes again.

However, when he heard the whisper the second time and he clearly heard his name being called, he bolted up. He was glad that Guinevere had not woken up by his sudden action and so he quietly got off their bed.

When his name was called the third time, Arthur recognized the voice. It made his heart leap in a strange way.

He quickly put his shoes on and quietly exited his chambers before running off. Merlin had called his name. Why and how, Arthur didn't know, but as it hadn't happened before, he needed to know if something had changed.

It didn't take long for him to reach the caves. There he saw Merlin again, with the same pained expression, inside the cracked crystal.

"Merlin. You...called me, didn't you?" Arthur got no answer, unsurprisingly, and so he walked a bit closer.

"Arthur!" A pained shout was heard loudly inside his head. It was definitely Merlin. It was horrible to hear his voice in such pain after not hearing it at all for three years.

"Merlin, what can I do for you?! I want to help you. Please tell me what to do." There was a silence again before Merlin spoke inside his head.

"The crystal.." With those words, Arthur reached his hand out to touch the crystal. He expected the pained feeling, but this time it didn't come. Instead, an image appeared inside his head and Arthur focused on it.

It was dark, but tiny lights could be seen in the scenery. Arthur recognized them as torches. The image changed into a closer view on those many torches, revealing many armed men. It wasn't just a gang, it was clearly a well-organized army. Arthur couldn't see any flags or crests on them, telling of their identity, which left Arthur confused. Even more he was confused about the fact that they had big carriages with them and from them, loud growls was heard. A quick image of an ugly beast came into his head. So they were magical beasts?

The image changed again and Arthur saw the walls of Camelot. The barrier was at place, but then he saw the unidentified army approaching from the woods. Next thing he knew was the sound of swords clashing and the land being filled with bodies. There were both knights of Camelot laying there, as well as the enemies. Then, Arthur saw himself. He was fighting against the army and it didn't seem like an easy battle. There was a very loud shattering sound and Arthur saw himself looking backwards towards the castle. The barrier had shattered and it vanished like it had never even existed. Then came the beasts. They ran towards the knights protecting the gates and killed them instantly before rushing inside. The knights were unable to stop any of it. Arthur saw himself again and then he understood the situation completely. The man he was fighting, it was Rience. He felt so angry as the man laughed and unarmed the weakened king before thrusting his sword through his chest. It was strange to see his own death, but he knew it was just an image.

After his own death, he saw very quick flashes of the people inside the city dying and he was thankful he didn't see Guinevere's fate.

After that, the images faded and Arthur was back before Merlin.

"Merlin... Did you just show me the future?" A loud snapping sound was the only answer he got and he saw a huge crack appearing right before him.

"I'm sorry Arthur... I can't hold on for much longer..." A whisper was heard again. Arthur stared at Merlin for a while in shock.

"Merlin, listen. You have to stay alive, okay? We can protect Camelot from now on, you don't have to keep the barrier up any longer if it puts strain on you. You can't die, you hear? I don't want you to. None of us wants you to. Even if you couldn't return to being yourself again, you have to live. Stop torturing yourself like this and trust your friends for once."

No answer could be heard any longer and Arthur decided to leave. He had a lot of things to do.

"Thank you Merlin. I'll be back when Camelot is safe again." Arthur said seriously before he started walking away. Before he could get far, a warm wind surprised him while pushing him forward.

"Godspeed, Arthur." One last whisper was heard and Arthur couldn't help when a smile formed on his face.

With Merlin's help and blessing, he was sure to be able to protect Camelot and this time, Merlin.

The battle had been inevitable, but Arthur had now had time to prepare for it because of Merlin's warning.

Still, it was a terrible battle and the fact that the magical beast hadn't yet appeared told Arthur that the army was confident. Rience stood in the middle of the field, well protected by his soldiers, smirking in confidence. Arthur felt furious at him for trying to deceive him. Arthur had almost sent one thirds of his knights and soldiers to aid him, only to be back-stabbed when his kingdom was less protected. Now, thanks to Merlin, his own army was at its full strength.
"Sire! More enemy reinforcements spotted! They will arrive here any moment!" A young messenger told Arthur. More enemies? How much could the army handle? And the beasts hadn't even appeared yet.

The fight went on with little changes before Arthur felt sharp pain in his head, accompanied with a loud scream. It was Merlin. When the pain was gone, Arthur looked behind him towards the barrier and saw that it had begun to crack. He followed the thin line down to see enemy soldiers hitting the barrier with something. Fury rose inside Arthur and without second thoughts he ran towards the men. He killed them without hesitation and looked down at what they had been holding. It resembled a small battering ram, but it was beautifully carved. Arthur could recognize some old religious words because he had seen Merlin reading books containing those symbols and words once. This had been made just to break the barrier. Arthur saw a knight near him and ordered him to burn it so it couldn't be used again.

Arthur was very worried. Merlin couldn't hold on for much longer. He needed to end this quickly. He decided that he needed to kill Rience and force his troops to back away. He started approaching the young man, but before he could, he heard a roar. The beasts had been let free.

After that, the battle turned even more bloody. The beasts were so strong. Arthur saw his soldiers falling one by one and he was having a hard time fighting back.
He was getting very tired after fighting for such a long time.

Then he heard something he didn't want to hear.
"IT'S THE ENEMY REINFORCEMENTS!" Someone shouted. And true, Arthur saw and heard the men arriving from the woods, ready to destroy anyone carrying the crest of Camelot.

Arthur looked around him to see the fear in everyone's eyes. They were tired and the last hope seemed to have left them. Arthur himself felt very hopeless too, but as a king he couldn't give up.

"MY KNIGHTS! THIS ISN'T THE PLACE TO GIVE IN! BEHIND THOSE WALLS ARE THE PEOPLE WE LOVE AND IF WE DON'T PROTECT THEM, NO ONE WILL! FIGHT FOR THEM!" Arthur shouted, hoping to bring more morale to the battlefield. It helped as the men seemed to straighten their backs and run ahead even though for many it would be the last thing they did.

Arthur knew this feeling. This feeling of when all hope seemed to be lost, he always pulled through. All those moments, he had friends with him. Yes, all those moments, Merlin had been there. Now, he was feeling a bit lonely when his servant wasn't running beside him, but he knew that he still had his back. Arthur felt the spirit of a warrior calling inside of him and he ran along with his men. If this were the place he would lose his life in, then so be it.

"No, Arthur. This isn't the place." As Arthur heard those words, his pace slowed and he turned to look backwards.

His eyes turned wide as he saw the barrier shrinking away towards the citadel. What was going on?

"I will protect you all." His voice said strongly, and Arthur noticed how all the soldiers had stopped running and they were looking towards the castle too. Had they heard it too? Before Arthur could wonder about it any longer, a strong light flashed from the citadel and a new barrier appeared, growing from the caves over the castle in a flash, before it passed them. To Arthur and his troops, it felt like a strong, yet warm wind, but looking where the enemies were, they had been flown away high in the air, before they fell on the ground, completely unmoving.

As quickly as the barrier had appeared, it was gone, and so was the enemy army. They had all been annihilated, even the big beasts.
The Camelot army was so surprised that they were unable to move or speak for the longest time. When they finally realized what had happened, they began shouting in victory.

Arthur stood in daze for a moment longer, trying to comprehend what had happened. It had definitely been Merlin. He had once again protected them.

Arthur remembered the mastermind behind the sudden attack and he started reaching for him with his gaze. Not seeing him, he walked towards the spot he had seen him last. And there he was, quivering on the ground, seemingly unharmed. Had Merlin left him safe in order to let Arthur punish him? It seemed like something he would do.

"King Rience of Essetir, you will receive your punishment for betraying Camelot within a weeks time. Until then, you will spend your time in the dungeons. I will not be lenient on you, that much I can assure you." Arthur was glad when two knights appeared and hauled the terrified king to his feet before dragging him off.

Arthur finally allowed himself to give a long sigh. It had been a long battle.

He looked behind him to look at the city. The barrier had not returned.
"Merlin..!" Arthur gasped in terror and ran off.

He urged his feet to go faster and faster even though his armour weighted him down heavily.
"Please be okay, please Merlin... Don't be gone!" Arthur found himself begging. He was so scared. He somehow knew that he wouldn't like what he was going to see in the caves. Merlin's words still rang in his head. 'No, Arthur. This isn't the place.' 'I will protect you all.'

What did those words mean for him? Was he going to give up something he wouldn't be able to get back?

"Gods, if there is a destiny, don't let it end today." Arthur almost ordered from whoever had made their destiny. Someone had to be listening, right? They were supposed to be always bound by their destiny. Merlin couldn't die now, he just couldn't.

Arthur almost fell as he ran down the dark passage leading to the caves but he never stopped. Not until he reached the cave.

The torches were always lit, and now they brought light to the scene that Arthur had never wanted to see.

"N..no.." He breathed and took shaky steps forwards before he fell to his knees.
"No...Merlin." He couldn't help it as his pants turned into sobs and tears fell.

The crystal had shattered. Merlin was gone.

"You're such an idiot, Merlin! AN IDIOT! FOR WHAT HAVE I WAITED FOR SO LONG?! DON'T JUST GO AND DIE!" Shouting those words, Arthur realized that not even for a single day had he lost hope. Hope that one day, Merlin would wake up and return. Day after day, he had hidden those true feelings under the fact that Merlin could never return to them. Those feelings weighted him down even more and he let himself fall down to his arms, crying freely.

He had just, once and for all, lost his friend. Today, their destiny had ended. Was Albion now the way it had supposed to become? Was Arthur now the king the destiny had told? Arthur didn't feel so. Not at all.

"Like this, I will only become a bitter king to my people, Merlin. I still need your help." Arthur almost whispered into the silent caves, but there was no answer.
At least, he didn't expect there to be.

Arthur heard footsteps behind him, but he didn't move.

"You prat," The voice started,

Arthur's breath caught in his throat and he wouldn't dare to look back.

"I told you remember, destiny will always bring us together." Only this time, his tone was light and filled with happiness and excitement.

And for the first time, Arthur truly thanked the gods for his destiny.

A happy ending, how nice.
I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was awesome.
If you wish to read more Merlin fics from me, please go leave a quick vote in my poll.
Reviews highly appreciated.